Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Lilium Jet air taxi reaches a top speed of 100 km/h

In view of the increasingly congested roads in the metropolises of the world, air taxi manufacturers and investors are sensing big business. More and more companies are entering the segment. The German companies are at the forefront and outdo each other with alleged success stories.

A Munich-based flying taxi startup Lilium has announced today that its all-electric Lilium Jet has completed the first phase of flight testing with the speeds of 100 km/h. And the company will now begin the second phase, where it will test the performance at high speed on a single charge.

In May, we saw the world’s first five-seater eVTOL prototype hover above the ground. And the new video shows that the air taxi can both hover and fly horizontally.

As the finished product should reach a range of 300 km/h, it not only be used for routes within the city but also represents an alternative for short-haul flights. Starting in 2025, several hundred fully electric, vertically-launched jets are to be produced there each year.

In addition, Lilium, whose investors include the Chinese Internet Group Tencent, want to build a second factory in Weßling near Munich with up to 500 new jobs. Currently, Lilium has 350 employees.

The company is on track to ensure 2025 passenger operations at multiple locations worldwide. With the wings, the e-jet is more efficient than rotor-powered aircraft, and with a range of 300 kilometers, it surpasses most of its competitors.

One of its competitors Volocopter has presented another milestone – the prototype of a VoloPort in Singapore, first of its kind airport for air taxis. There, the drone-like aircraft will pick up passengers and then lift off into the air.